The legal dispute in Germany, Belgium and the U.K. involves false and misleading advertising claims by Tennant for scrubber-driers that use the "so-called ec-H2O technology," the release stated.

According to the release, Kärcher is taking legal action against several advertising claims made by Tennant, especially the assertion that ordinary tap water can, in scrubber-driers, be converted into "active water" that then has the same effect as a powerful cleaning agent.

"As a leading cleaning equipment industry company, we also stand for the respectability and trustworthiness of our industry. Our customers must be able to rely on their manufacturers. Tennant''s claims are misleading and totally untenable scientifically," said Hartmut Jenner, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of the management board of the Kärcher Group.

"The company is thereby trying in a highly unfair manner to set itself apart from the competition — and making a promise to customers that it cannot possibly fulfill," Jenner added.